Indoor fireplaces include a fireplace cavity and a fireplace flue. The fireplace cavity is an open space within a wall of a room in a building delimited by a fireplace aperture in the wall. The fireplace aperture connects the room to the fireplace cavity. The walls and floor defining the fireplace cavity are designed to contain a fire. The fireplace flue is the passage for transporting fumes generated by the fire in the fireplace cavity outside the building. The term fireplace may also refer to portions of the wall and floor in the room that are adjacent the fireplace cavity, such as nonflammable masonry. Both the fireplace cavity and the room extend above and to the sides of the fireplace aperture.
An artificial fireplace is a construct designed to give an impression of a burning fire in a fireplace.
A fireplace cavity insert is anything that can be inserted into a fireplace cavity.
An external wall mantle is a piece of furniture designed to be located in a room and that either defines a fireplace cavity or that includes an artificial fireplace.
Artificial fireplaces do not require a flue because they do not actually burn anything. They require only a structure emulating a fireplace cavity. An external wall mantle that only defines a fireplace cavity defines a cavity suitable for containing a fireplace cavity insert.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,134,032 to Flynn discloses an artificial fireplace for giving an impression of a burning fire in a fireplace, such as for example a fire burning firewood. U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,207 to Martin discloses artificial fireplace including a light randomizer. US patent application publication 2002/0171940 to Zhan discloses an image display system having electrically actuatable image combiner. The contents of U.S. Pat. No. 9,134,032 to Flynn; U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,207 to Martin; and US patent application publication 2002/0171940 to Zhan are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.